Akashian general election, 1966

Akashian general election, 1966

25 June 1966
200 seats in the National Assembly 101 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	85,2%
First party Second party Third party   Leader Yurika Ehara Shunsō Domoto Matsuyo Miyazaki Party NU SP NCP Last election 104 seats 50,5% 11 seats 32,5%1 14 seats 14,0%2 Seats won 110 22 20 Seat change 6 111 62 Popular vote 2.061.664 409.873 372.985 Percentage 50,3% 10,0% 9,1% Swing 0,4% 22,5% 4,9%2   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Kyōji Fukuma Kumanosuke Inaba Masahiro Futaki Party AP LP NDP–RP Last election 14 seats 14,0%2 11 seats 32,5%1 11 seats 32,5%1 Seats won 13 12 11 Seat change 12 11 1 Popular vote 254.122 221.332 213.134 Percentage 6,2% 5,4% 5,2% Swing 7,8%2 27,1%1 27,3%1
Most voted party by province
Prime Minister before election Yurika Ehara NU Prime Minister after election Yurika Ehara NU

A general election was held in Akashi on 25 June 1966. The incumbent Yurika Ehara government was re-elected with a majority.

The United Opposition had collapsed in acrimony after the previous general election, while several new parties entered the fray, including the conservative liberal Reform Party (which had broken off from the Liberal Party) and the classical liberal Freedom League.

The RP chose to form an electoral alliance with the National Democratic Party due to worries they would fall beneath the electoral threshold. The Communist Party and Workers' Party's ongoing rapprochement led them to also form a unity list.

Results

General election, 25 June 1966
Party		Votes	%	+/−	Seats	+/−
	National Union	2.061.664	50,3%	-0,2%	110	+6
	Socialist Party	409.873	10,0%	-22,5%1	22	+111
	National Cooperative Party	372.985	9,1%	-4,9%2	20	+62
	Agrarian Party	254.122	6,2%	-7,9%2	13	-12
	Liberal Party	221.332	5,4%	-27,1%1	12	+11
	National Democratic Party	213.134	5,2%	-27,3%1	11	±01
	Reform Party
	Communist Party	204.937	5,0%	-27,5%1	10	-11
	Workers' Party
	Social Credit Party	81.975	2,0%	-30,5%1	0	-111
	Conservative National Party	73.777	1,8%	-0,2%3	0	±03
	Akashi Renewal Party	69.269	1,7%	-0,3%3	0	±03
	Freedom League	65.580	1,6%	+1,6%	0	±0
	Independents	70.088	1,7%	-0,3%	2	±0
Total		4.098.735	100%	—	200	—
Registered voters and turnout		4.810.722	85,2%

• Government: National Union majority (1966–1968); National unity government (1968–1970).

The election was a last hurrah for the Yurikara government. Although the NU's 50,3% share of the vote was the lowest up to that point, it managed to win its highest share of MNAs, largely aided by the collapse of the Social Credit Party and the presence of 2 unity lists on the ballot.

The CP and WP voted to reunite in 1967.

The Yurikara government was derailed by the Summer of Freedom. During the protests, she formed a national unity government comprising all parties in the National Assembly, and introduced a series of reforms to "open up the system".

¹ Compared to the United Opposition in 1962.

² Compared to the Centre List in 1962.

³ Compared to the Conservative List in 1962.